KUCHING: The licensed food outlets and schools should start separating waste by placing three rubbish bins for the purpose.

“That’s basic to preserving the environment,” said Local Government and Housing Ministry’s permanent secretary Bakrie Zaini.

He said separating the waste is important as it makes waste management easier when it is done at the source.

“Major waste comes from food waste and abundance of food waste is usually formed at shopping malls, food outlets and schools,” he said when officiating at the closing ceremony of School-Level Recycling Competition in Kuching and Kota Samarahan 2019 held at Pustaka Negeri Sarawak here yesterday.

According to Bakrie, waste management company Trienekens (Sarawak) Sdn Bhd currently collects twice a week from households and commercial entities with basic entitlements for general waste. There is also a truck collecting recycled waste once in a fortnight.

He said in Japan rubbish bins are rarely seen anywhere in its cities because the Japanese has this habit of holding onto their rubbish until they get home to personally dispose of it.

“In outlets like 7-Eleven in Japan, they also provide three separate rubbish bins to enhance waste management. Apart from that, they also put up notices which prohibit their customers to bring outside rubbish into their premises.

“This is how serious they are in preserving the environment and I believe we should follow suit to continuously inculcate positive behavioural change to the general public especially the youths.

“Thus, I believe programmes like this are not just solely a platform for the participants to compete to win prizes but also to advocate and create awareness on preserving the environment,” he added.

Bakrie suggested that the state Education Department organise environmental visits for students to the Kuching Integrated Waste Management Park in Mambong to learn about the processes and problems faced by the level 4 sanitary landfill.

“Such initiative will better enhance education on environmental health and waste management rather than just learning in the classroom,” he said.

Bakrie also reminded that even though waste management is not a legal responsibility yet, it is undeniably the moral responsibility of everyone to protect the environment.